SIT Study Abroad: Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization

I did SIT Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization the fall of my junior year. I wanted to go abroad primarily for language-learning purposes; I'm a Spanish major and I felt the limitations of learning a language in a classroom. This particular program aligned very well with my other academic interests too; I had taken some classes on North American Indigenous history and studied Indigenous agriculture. The program was a great fit for me and I found it to be a good balance of challenge and support. I always felt that I had the tools I needed to do what we were asked to do, whether that was field work or essay writing.

I had a wonderful host family in Cusco and got particularly close with my mom while I was there. I went to family gatherings, ate meals, and ran errands with my family as much as possible and learned a lot from them. They were very welcoming.

One thing to be aware of with this program is that you'll be taking classes and travelling with other students from the US; my cohort always spoke English with each other and that impeded our language learning to some extent. For some people having other students from the US around helped with culture shock, but at times I felt that I wasn't getting as much out of the experience as I might have if I'd been forced to make more local connections.

The part of my time abroad that I think about most often is my Independent Study Project (ISP). All students in the program complete a month-long project, the result of which is a 25 page paper in Spanish. Although it sounded daunting at first, I am so so glad I did this. I designed a project on conservation of native potatoes in a group of Indigenous communities and their collaboration with an international seed bank. I stayed in the community I was working with for a week on my own. It was an incredible way to follow my interests and learn how to be a student outside the classroom, and I met people who changed the way I think about the world.

This is a great program! Very organized in terms of logistics, even though changing circumstances sometimes altered our travel plans. I would recommend SIT Peru to students with intermediate to advanced Spanish who don't mind having to study during their study abroad.

My semester in Peru with SIT Study Abroad was all I could have hoped for and more. I entered the program with big goals and I can proudly say that I achieved them. I am now an advanced Spanish speaker, I completed an intensive research project I am passionate about, I am a capable traveler and can engage across cultures. This is not an easy program - it takes commitment, drive, focus. I was so pleased with my professors and the program staff for how they facilitated the program while providing space for independence and challenge. Further, they made me think in new ways and valued curiosity above anything else. Peru as a country and culture is incredible, and being in Cusco offers so much opportunity to learn, practice Spanish, and become comfortable in a vastly different culture. In the end, I am so grateful for all I learned and accomplished and I am confident this experience will benefit me hugely in the future.

When looking at study abroad programs, I knew that I wanted a program that not only would be academically enriching, but that would also provide a fun and adventurous experience. Due to my focus on International Relations, the programs focus on globalization seemed like a great way to put into practice that which I had learned through my college classes. Throughout my semester abroad, I was constantly learning new information which was enhanced by our field based experiences. The staff of the program did everything that they could in order to make sure that we felt safe, comfortable, and engaged throughout the program. Each of the trips we did throughout the program allowed us to learn about indigenous communities while getting to see beautiful sites. I will forever remember all the amazing places that we got to visit. Something else that was great about the program was the host family I was placed with. They did everything possible to make sure that I felt like I was a part of their family and always checked in to see if there was anything they could do so I could feel more at home. Another great thing about the program was the research component. The way the program spaced it out made it a lot less daunting to complete the research project, there were also multiple check-ins as well as due dates which broke up the project in little parts. I will actually be using my research as the foundation for my college thesis. Overall, I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to explore and go on fun adventures while being academically engaged in a supportive environment.

I absolutely loved this program. I had so much fun, met so many incredible people, and learned so much about both the country of Peru and the Spanish language. The rigorous curriculum of this program challenged me academically and gave me valuable research experience, while also leaving plenty of time for me to enjoy my time there and explore the city. Cusco has so much to offer, from delicious food in the Plaza de Armas to beautiful hiking scenes in the surrounding mountains. The people are very friendly and welcoming, and the city is very safe. I already wish I could go back! I would recommend this program to everyone and anyone.

I definitely learned a lot during my time in Peru thanks to SIT. The classes themselves were mostly lectures followed by group discussions and could be a bit repetitive, but being able to meet with community leaders and members around the country gave me a more well-rounded perspective of the social and human rights we studied than any class I could take back on campus. The workload is fairly light outside of plenty of reading and a few essays, but it just gives you more time to spend with your host families and to interact with the people you meet along the way!

I studied abroad in Peru through the SIT Study Abroad program in Spring 2018 and it was definitely the highlight of my undergraduate experience! The program is based in Cuzco, so a good amount of my time was spent there. However, I was able to visit so many different parts of the country. For example, I visited the Sacred Valley, where I hiked Machu Picchu; the Peruvian Amazon, where I got to travel through the Amazonia; Lake Titicaca and Puno, where I lived with an indigenous family, and lastly; Arequipa and Colca Canyon, where I got to relax but continue to explore another amazing region. Besides the excursions, traveling to Peru through SIT allowed me to immerse myself in the culture by living with a Peruvian host family in Cuzco and again with an indigenous Peruvian family where I was able to practice my Spanish and even learn another language: Quechua: the language of the Inca empire. And to top it all off, I was able to travel independently as I conducted field research and developed my very own independent study project. Specifically, I was able to choose a topic that I was personally and academically interested in, travel to a region where my topic was relevant, live in such area, interact and investigate that community and then produce a piece of writing that illustrated my findings. It was quite intense but it was definitely a one-of-a-kind experience that allowed me to continue learning about various aspects of the Peruvian culture. I would say the program has a strong anthropologic basis. However, if you are interested in learning about cultures, globalization, the environment, religion, and anything related to such, studying abroad in Peru through SIT will allow you to learn and experience each and everyone of these focuses in multiple facets. Ultimately, if you would like to be in a country and with a program that allows you to be in the city but also the country- side, learn inside and outside the classroom, and most importantly, allow you to learn about a different world while also learning about yourself, SIT Peru is the program for you!

Academics:
The program academics were definitely easier than my on-campus courses. However, SIT capitalized on the benefits of experiential learning and the incredible amount we as students learned just by being abroad, in the field, and with the communities we studied.
Living Situation:
I lived with a host family my entire time abroad, and it was one of the best parts of my study away experience. My host parents were extremely welcoming and made me feel like part of the family.
Food:
It can be hard to get used to the food in the high mountains of Peru, especially with the lack of lots of fresh fruit and veg. Our host families cooked a lot of delicious food and attempted to make foods we would enjoy from back home as well.
Language Component:
I was definitely integrated into the local culture through my host family and the constant Spanish, but it's easy to slip into looking like tourists when you're with the other students on the program. Definitely something to consider, but I'd say those breaks were worthwhile and even helpful for my own mental health.
Finances:
Almost everything was covered by tuition! We even received stipends when we traveled, so we didn't have to worry about spending our own money.

After completing my semester in Peru, I told myself and my host families I would return before I turn thirty. Essentially, my time in Peru was a healthy balance of school life and personal development. The dynamic of indigenous peoples and globalization being put into question, created an expansive space to learn. The seminar classes often brought in professors and experts to complement the theme of the day. For instance, if we were talking about Communism and campesino communities, the professor brought in for the seminar would have extensive knowledge on the topic. The variety of excursions also opens your eyes to the rich diversity of Peru. Diversity in every sense of the word: ecological regions, traditions, indigenous languages and dialects, etc. Living with host families was something I always wanted to accomplish and thanks to SIT, I had several host families. My main host family was in Cusco (they were amazing) and I had other host families for the longer excursions and my Independent Study Project (ISP). The program tries diligently to have you succeed inside and outside of the classroom. The people in my program allowed me to make genuine friendships and a fun social life.